With the passage of the Check 21 Act (“Check21”), financial institutions are now able to conduct check transactions based on electronic images of the check. Accordingly, the need for optical character recognition (OCR) of the check code line has taken on renewed importance. Before Check21, the code line character data was primarily read with MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) signals by using either multi-gap or single gap read systems. Because MICR utilizes magnetic, as opposed to optical, information to read character data, MICR readers are generally immune to optical noise, such as signature descenders, memo line descenders, check background, etc. Any optical noise found on a check is typically due to non-magnetic ink and thus does not distract MICR readers. However, using OCR technology to read the same information poses a more difficult situation.
At least two types of technical concerns are raised that potentially introduce optical noise into the code line data. First, the check code line region, which should ideally comprise a clear band with MICR characters printed thereon, is typically not an optically clear band. Instead, the code line region often contains different forms of safety background and/or scenes preprinted on the check that cover that region. Second, user-entered text (descenders) originating from the signature and/or memo line often ends up in the clear band. Both of these types of optical noise introduce issues with the code line OCR. In the process of converting the check image to black-white, some of this optical noise may survive as dark printed strokes, making OCR less reliable than that which is required.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method that will enhance OCR performance by addressing the problems associated with the introduction of optical noise into the check code line region.